Prototype male pills and testosterone implants, produced in the Netherlands, 1999

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In 1999, Edinburgh University conducted trials to develop an oral male contraceptive. A pill containing the active ingredient desogestrel was taken four times daily. Two implants containing testosterone were inserted under the skin on the abdomen. These remained effective for three months. The implants were needed because the pill stopped the production of testosterone as well as sperm. The Edinburgh trials reduced the sperm count of the 60 men involved to zero.